The present invention relates a closure that may be applied to a vial or other container in either a child resistant configuration or a non-child resistant configuration. In its child resistant configuration the closure provides an obstacle to children being able to remove the closure from the container, however, in its non-child resistant configuration the closure allows for ready removal of the closure from the container. The present invention also provides a closure and container assembly.
There are many varying types of child resistant closure systems disclosed in the art. An example of a particular type of child resistant closure system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,078, which relates to a combination of a container and safety cap. While many child resistant caps effectively provide protection against the danger of small children being able to remove potentially harmful pills from vials or other containers, they also provide a problem for a considerable portion of the adult population that requires medication, however, lack the manual dexterity or strength to remove the child resistant cap. This is of a particular concern to the elderly population or people suffering from arthritis and other disabling disease.
This particular problem has been addressed by the development of closure systems having a child resistant mode and a non-child resistant mode such that, in the non-child resistant mode, the closures are more easily opened by adults. An example of such a closure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,934, (the ""934 patent) which is herein incorporated by reference. The ""934 patent discloses a container closure that is selectively manipulable between a configuration which resists opening by children and a configuration which may be easily opened without special manipulation of the closure. Specifically, the closure is manipulated into its non-child resistant mode by xe2x80x9cpressing downxe2x80x9d on the central portion of the top surface of the closure. Although the aforementioned closure effectively provides protection against the danger of small children being able to remove it from vials or other containers, a certain portion of the adult population lack the manual dexterity or strength to xe2x80x9cpress downxe2x80x9d the central portion of the top surface of the closure so to manipulate the closure from its child resistant configuration to its non-child resistant configuration. This manipulation or xe2x80x9cpushing downxe2x80x9d also represents a problem for people with long fingernails. Other reversible child resistant closures have been developed to address this problem, however, making the closure easier to convert into the non-child resistant configuration increase the risk that the closures will inadvertently be converted into their non-child resistant configurations. Similarly, there is an increased risk that automated filling machines will inadvertently convert the closures into their non-child resistant configurations when applying the closure to the container.
Further, the closures of the type disclosed in the ""934 patent cannot include a warning to the consumer once the closure has been converted to its non-child resistant configuration. This message is required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (xe2x80x9cCPSCxe2x80x9d) to alert users that the closure has been converted into the non-child resistant configuration.
Furthermore, other reversible child resistant designs that do include the CPSC consumer warning cannot be used in automated dispensing equipment due to projections on their outer surface.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need for a closure that has a child resistant mode which resists opening by children, has a non-child resistant mode which may be easily opened without special manipulation, resists inadvertent conversion from its child resistant mode to its non-child resistant mode, is capable of including the mandated CPSC warning xe2x80x9cCAUTION NOT CHILD RESISTANTxe2x80x9d when used in its non-child resistant mode, and can be used in automated dispensing machines so overcoming the aforementioned deficiencies of the prior art.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a closure that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as in the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, the reversible child resistant closure of the present invention for use with a container having a neck portion has an engaging means and an axis extending therethrough about which the closure is rotatable. The closure has a child resistant mode when applied to the container in a first child resistant position and has a non-child resistant mode when applied to the container in a second non-child resistant position. The closure includes an outer cap and an inner cap. The outer cap includes a first circumferential side wall that extends from a top edge to a bottom edge. This first circumferential side wall has a first inner surface with a non-child resistant engaging means for rotatable engagement with the engaging means of the container and a first child resistant engaging means axially offset from the non-child resistant engaging means comprising a series of angular abutments extending about the first inner surface. The inner cap includes a second circumferential side wall extending axially from an upper surface and has a second inner surface and an outer surface. The second inner surface is provided with a second child resistant engaging means for rotateable engagement with the engaging means of the container and the outer surface is provided with a third child resistant engaging means having a plurality of angular abutment surfaces complementary to the series of angular abutments on the outer cap.
The inner cap is coaxially positioned and nested within the outer cap and is axially movable between the first child resistant engaging means and the bottom edge of the outer cap such that the plurality of angular abutment surfaces of the inner cap engage the series of angular abutments of the outer cap upon rotation of the outer cap to rotate the inner cap in a closing direction. However, upon rotation of the outer cap member in an opening direction in the absence of an axial force, the plurality of angular abutment surfaces of the inner cap cam over and past the series of angular abutments of the outer cap so preventing rotation of the inner cap.
In another aspect, the present invention includes a closure system being the combination of the closure of the present invention and a container.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.